Origins: Pretty Nancy of Yarmouth?

Subject: RE: Origins: Pretty Nancy of Yarmouth?
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 21 Oct 24 - 08:45 AM

Thanks, Nick, I hadn't checked that one. Exact same story but no text in common. Roud 152/ Laws M1. Master Title, Early Early in the Spring.

Thanks, Reinhard. yes all of these derive from Arthur's singing. Colin has some useful background info on Arthur that the Hudlestons didn't have. This will come in handy for the bios when I get round to them.

Incidentally, a big-up here for Jim Carroll, who was instrumental in preserving a copy of Colin's recordings and getting them on the wonderful double album available from Rod's Musical Traditions. A lot of Arthur's songs there, and a lot of what will be in our forthcoming book.
(Nick, Cohen and myself)

Subject: RE: Origins: Pretty Nancy of Yarmouth?
From: Reinhard
Date: 21 Oct 24 - 01:30 AM

In "Songs of the Riding", Arthur Wood of Middlesbrough is quoted as describing the song as "an old sea shanty ... learned at Littlebeck ... in 1930". He sang it on the Musical Traditions anthology "Songs of the North Riding" from the 1962 Colin Wharton Collection.

The Young Tradition sang "Pretty Nancy of Yarmouth" on their 1965 album "The Young Tradition", stating in the sleeve notes that "This version was collected in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire". So they may have got it from Arthur Wood.

Subject: RE: Origins: Pretty Nancy of Yarmouth?
From: Nick Dow
Date: 20 Oct 24 - 07:43 PM

Another thought. It might be worth checking 'A Sailor Deceived' in Ashton. The verses are reminiscent of that song (HED Hammond from Pomeroy)

Subject: RE: Origins: Pretty Nancy of Yarmouth?
From: Nick Dow
Date: 20 Oct 24 - 07:25 PM

I believe the young tradition sang this version. Joe Offer pasted it on his folk info website in 2002. He may have some results from that posting

Subject: Origins: Pretty Nancy of Yarmouth?
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 20 Oct 24 - 05:12 PM

This is a request for IDing an unusual version of Pretty Nancy, my Master Title 'Nancy of Yarmouth' Roud 407.

In the Hudleston Collection there is a version sung by the wonderful Arthur Wood of Littlebeck. It has 4 stanzas of which the first stanza and tune are very obviously Roud 407. However the other 3 stanzas form no part of any of the other many and varied versions of that song. Nor can I find them in any of the many other Nancy ballads. Arthur was quite adept at making his own versions of songs and even writing whole new songs.

These 3 stanzas have all the hallmarks of the broadside ballad but Arthur had no problems imitating this, reference his marvellous localised version of the Brisk Young Tailor.

However, before I ascribe these verses to Arthur I would like to put them up here in case any sleuths recognise them. They certainly look familiar.

On the eighteenth of October our barque did set sail,
Pretty Nancy came down for to bid me farewell,
She said, "While you're sailing on the wide ocean blue,"
She said, My young sailor, I'll be faithful to you."

Long years then went by, when back I did return,
Pretty Nancy was married, had a home of her own,
While I as a roving on the wild restless sea,
Pretty Nancy proved faithless and false unto me.

Now all you poor sailors take warning from me,
And never leave the lass you love for to rove the wide sea,
While you are a roving on the wide waves so blue,
They'll prove faithless like Nancy of Yarmouth to you.

One thing a little suspect is the several references to 'wide waves so blue' etc. Arthur did go to sea in his youth c1900 presumably at first on sailing vessels. He was brought up in a pub in Littlebeck and got most of his large repertoire there.